I got a 7 mile run in this morning. 1:07:43. Slow and steedy. 42 degrees and sunny. I never felt like I was hitting my stride so I cut it shorter than I wanted. Guessing my legs were tired because I did alot more than I have for a while this week with biking thrown in on what used to be rest days. I was going to take LMWEL's suggestion and do the bike but my bride had other plans for my day. Oh well, I'll have to wait till Tuesday as I have plans to ride with a friend after work. Weather is suppost to be warm all week. I did get my honeydo list done so all's good.

LMWEL hope your bike ride was a good one. 70 miles.. pretty good. Great crosstraining for that marathon. It will take me alittle while to get there this time of year. It may just be an excuse this winter because it's been so mild. My buddy has logged some long rides all winter by driving a little to Md.

MelodyLea I wondered about your minimalist shoes too. I know they're the thing right now but I know there is no way I can run in them. Being a 52 year old diabetic may have something to do with that. lol. I really hope you figure it out soon, I feel so bad for you because you were doing sooo well. It will all work out I'm sure.

jmsab23 great pace, impressive.

Run4Coffee bummer about the shirt. As far as the slow pace, their's nothing to it I do it all the time. lol. Great idea about the extra 8 miles, go for it.

isewinsf congrats on the 5 miles. Way to go with deciding to do the half marathon in SF. I was real close to doing the SF marathon last year but because of some family issues I did one in Canada instead. Maybe someday I'll get there. Running over the bridge looks like big fun. BTW the Penquins are on a 9 game winning streak...just saying. Sorry I couldn't resist.

6xchampsfan Thanks. I worked out a more reasonalble training scedule today that might help my hurt foot. It involves shorter and more frequent runs. I'm wondering if the increase to those long 10 mile runs may have contributed to the injury. At any rate, I feel positive about it all. Iced my foot about a dozen times today and hope to have a nice little (relativley pain free) run in the morning. Nice job on your 7 miler!

MelodyLea- that's a great goal for your next 10K!! If I can drop mine by 5 minutes I'll be pleased.

Warm weather continues in Wisconsin! Yesterday I was in Madison visiting my brother in the hospital; I took advantage of the location and did an 8 mile run through the local zoo and through the UW Arboretum. Quite windy, but nice. My longest run to date, and I feel OK today. The run/walk method helps with that!

MelodyLea - My 10K is May 12, so I still have 2 months. I think you're wise to cut down the long run distance. I'm no expert, but I think 6-8 mile long runs should be plenty for 10K training. Speed work may be more important for your time goal. Just adding short bursts of speed into 3-mile runs allowed me to cut over 3 min. off my 5k time. For the 10K I'm also aiming for a PR, and beating the 10mm pace of 1:02 would be awesome.

Had some achilles pain on today's long run, so kept it to just over 7 miles and slow. Hoping ice will help keep it in check.

good running all! I didn't get my Sunday run in due to the scout trip. But with more daylight I may have to try to do my running between work and dinner/homework time to take advantage of any good weather we're expecting. Less than 2 weeks to my first 10k and I'm starting to feel nervous.

Today was a much needed rest day for me. My 17 miler went well yesterday. I took things nice and slow right from the start and I didn't have much soreness at all today. Spring is in the air, I was able to run in shorts the first time this year! :-)

Alfninerx- congrats on completing your first tri!

az1414-thanks, I was pretty happy with my miles this week. I will need to be smarter about my miles though as my long runs keep increasing. Good luck on your upcoming marathons.

6xchampsfan-Good job getting the honeydo list done! My husband has barely made a dent in the list I've made for him!

Another week in the books. Was able to fit my running in around a surprise family weekend trip to Gatlinburg. Traffic in Pigeon Forge makes keeping any pace difficult(6.5 miles@8:19mm). I took two rest days consecutively last week due to tightness in my calves that wouldn't go away (anybody got any advice for that?). Less than three weeks until my half in Knoxville, meaning two more weeks of work before the taper. Had the opportunity to drive the course on my way home yesterday, it's got some challenging hill portions, but I don't think I'll have trouble reaching my goal(<2:00:00 in my first half). Have a 5k this Saturday that will work as a speed day. Long run of 12 yesterday @9:45mm. Going to run a half marathon course here in Chattanooga Sunday morning at the same time my half will start to get a feel for a half, and the start time to get my routine together. I'm thankful for the weather we've had, without it I would've had trouble being ready.

Eight miles yesterday @10:00mm. Went further than scheduled but needed a confidence booster after last weeks flu session. Felt good and used 1GU. Worked a race Sat with the running club, a little apprehensive at first feeling like I should be out there running too, but had a lot of fun cheering others on and got a cool running hat with club logo for helping, whoot whoot!!

AlfNinerX: Congrats on the tri finish!!! It's cool your family was there to cheer you on.

MelodyLea: Glad the foot seems to be getting better,keep the ice machine busy!! What Hammer stuff are you trying???

NHLA: High mileage WHOA!!!

RunsforCoffee: That's exactly what some guy's did after Sat days race, they just kept running lol. Pretty cool!!

To All: Good luck with your continued training and runs this week. This is a great group!!!!!

NoogaTiger16 Fantastic miles and it sounds like you are right on track for your half.

Dobrobuck Nice miles/speed and thanks for helping out for other runners. I got a huge box of goodies from Hammer (what a cool company!) I'm mainly focussed on the bars and the gels. I love the bars, haven't tried the gels yet because I'm running these little 3.5 until my foot is 100%.

Hey everyone! It's been a long and exhausting week for me, but I've been avidly following your posts and receiving inspiration from them--keep it up!

AlfNinerX: congrats on the triathlon! Hopefully I can join you on the next one(s)!

MelodyLea: I hope that new plan to stay healthy works for you. Best of luck, and run strong, friend!

Dobrobuck: Great job getting together with your club to support a race! You're the people that makes a race a great experience. Hats off to you!

countryrunner1: Great job on the long run! Keep it up!

Debm2011: You will do great at your 10K! It's all right to be nervous, but trust in all that training you've done, and you will succeed! Best of luck!

NoogaTiger16: It sounds like you're training smart, and listening for the signs of overtraining. You will do great at the half by continuing to train according to the way you're feeling. Re: the calves, I would recommend rolling them out with a foam roller or The Stick--both work wonders on that tightness! Also, don't forget that everything is connected down there, so if you're going to give your calves some TLC, spread the love around to the rest of your lower half (feet, hamstrings, quads, hips, etc.) Best of luck!

6xchampsfan: Good for you, listening to your body. Sometimes the training plan doesn't fit the situation you're in, and I'm glad you didn't force it and put yourself at risk. Also, great job playing the good husband role! Us guys can't forget about the support team, right?

My running week was pretty solid overall, with 41 miles logged in. Everything has felt great physically, and my rest day Thursday was a physical great recharge. Emotionally, though, this whole week as been quite a strain on me. On Saturday I had to say goodbye to my running partner, my dog Isabel (Izzy). Late last week I noticed our runs had begun to slow pace-wise, and I'd seen the signs before--the cancer was starting to come back. She hung tough on Monday and Tuesday, and for brief moments showed some of her usual spunk and fire on our runs, but things just weren't normal anymore. When my wife and I took her in on Wednesday for her routine chemotherapy session, we asked for additional x-rays and blood-work to be done. The x-rays showed a terminal spread of the lymphoma, and the condition was beyond any help. So, we took her back home and spent the next couple of days entertaining our friends so Izzy could be in good company. I got in one run on Friday out of necessity, a 5-miler that included a trip to the ATM so I could pay the landscaper. Other than that, we just took some short and slow walks to keep her spirits up.

After putting Isabel to rest on Saturday morning (a sad event, needless to say), I had to run to get out some of the pent-up energy I had, so I went for a hard 5.5-mile run through the town. I picked the hardest road climbs here in town and hammered them, letting the burning in my legs, heart and lungs wash away the emotions I was feeling. After coming back to the house, I was utterly exhausted, but I had to be there for my wife, so after showering up I went with her to the dance studio (she was able to borrow it for a few hours) and then the two of us danced for a couple of hours. Physical exertion is sometimes the best therapy for days like these...

My original plan for this past Sunday morning was a 15-mile road run, but after Saturday's ordeal I knew I didn't have it in me, so I kept it to 8.5. It was a nice and easy LSD pace (8:30), and I actually felt refreshed and peaceful after.

The toughest run to-date was actually this morning, what would have been a routine easy morning run with Izzy. I ran our normal 3-mile route at our usual easy pace, but there wasn't anything easy about it. Later today I'll go out again, and see how that goes.

Things always get easier over time, and as runners we all push through the best and worst that life has to throw at us. Sorry to be a buzzkill on what is otherwise such an uplifting and inspirational thread, but this has definitely been cathartic for me, and like the rest of the runners in this fantastic group, I will run on through it all. Thanks to everyone for your posts and inspirations!

Terranss I am SO, so sorry for your loss. My heart aches for you...I know how much our furry partners mean to us. Izzy is happily romping in the wide open fields "accross the rainbow bridge". What kind of dog was she? I'd like to send you a little art print if I have a painting that might resemble her. Warmest ((hugs)) to you and your wife.